Michelle Collins has revealed that the vision of EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw convinced her to come back to the soap as Cindy Beale after 25 years away.
The character arrives back in Walford this week, with ex-husband Ian (Adam Woodyatt) in tow, after it was revealed to viewers that she was not dead after all but in the witness protection programme.
Collins had previously ruled out the possibility of reprising the role but has now explained how she was tempted into changing her mind.
"I was doing Cluedo on tour when I was initially asked, and I suppose I was kind of surprised," she said.
"We arranged to meet Chris, my agent and I, and I had kind of spoken to Adam about whether he was possibly going back but we couldn't say too much to each other.
"I'd heard that this new producer was really fantastic and everyone was saying he was great, and when I met him and he showed [me and my agent] the storyline on his laptop we were kind of both taken aback really. I just thought 'wow','if they really can make it work, then maybe yes'. A year down the line, here I am!"
She continued: "It was really exciting. It totally came out of the blue and I think it's all about timing, and it just felt like it was the right time. I really felt like I was in good hands with Chris and that he really wanted to invest in the character.
"I didn't want to come back for just a week as I didn't think it would be worthwhile and I wanted it to be handled well for people to believe in that character. It felt like the right point in my life for it to happen.
"I think Chris is great for the show – he really loves it and I think that shows. He has a lot of respect for everybody in the show.
"It feels very much like an ensemble show at the moment which I think is really important and everyone is really supportive of each other."
EastEnders continues Monday to Thursday on BBC One and from 6am on iPlayer.
> Picture Spoilers: This week on EastEnders (Aug 28-31)
Neil Wilkes
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